The day was commiserating with Gigi. The sky was gray and it dulled the world around her. She stood on her balcony, looking out into the gardens, to the palace wall and out to the city. Even from where she stood far off she could hear the sounds of daily life and business. Loud voices battled against carriage wheels. Shouts of children tangled with the shouts of merchants.
It felt wrong to Gigi. She wished that the world would fall silent, that it would stop acting as if nothing had changed. Like she wasn't leaving this place and part of herself behind.
In the room, Margo was working alongside two other maids packing up Gigi's belonging. On the table her breakfast lay untouched. The air was filled with the rustling of silk and the latching of trunk locks. Gigi wondered if she should tell them that there was no use. She would take none of the fancy clothes with her once she left. She would only take what she had arrived with. That and the memories that she would now clutch close.
A shadow emerged from the room, Margo trailing after it. For a moment, she simply stood by Gigi, surveying the flawless grounds.
"Will you miss it, Lady?" she asked.
Gigi paused at the question. Her whole heart would miss Thayer. But this place? This beauty? This world? No, she knew she wouldn't. It was once something she dreamt of living in. Inside she now knew the beauty of her own world. Her old life. A part of her hated herself for the betrayal she had shown to the life that had been hers, the life she had disdained, wished herself away from.
Now as she was slowly closer to returning her heart was flooded with longing. She was going to go home. Soon she would be back in a place that she truly belonged to. Once again she would be among the people that cared because that's how they lived not because of what it might get them in return. This thought alone filled her with a quiet glow.
"Lady?"
Gigi wondered how long she had been silent, trapped in her own musings. She looked at Margo. The sweet round brown eyes stared back.
"Yes," she said, "there will be somethings I miss."
Reaching out, she squeezed Margo's hand affectionately. The girl returned the gesture.
"Are you sure there is nothing you feel like eating, Lady? It will be a long journey."
"Thank you, friend but I am fine."
With a nod, Margo walked back into the room and completed the final steps of departure. Gigi ran a hand down her dress, the fabric soft and as smooth as water flowing through her fingers. It was a rich purple that almost looked black. Even as she fingered the material she wished for the simple homespun trousers she had arrived in. There was a worn softness in them that this dress would never acquire.
The door to her rooms opened and she saw a manservant enter and scan the maids work.
"When will Lady Genevieve be ready to leave?" he asked.
"We are finishing now," Margo said. "You may send the porters to carry the trunks down."
"Very well."
He left. Taking a long final look at the exquisite gardens, Gigi walked back into the room. Three trunks waited by the door, ready to lead the procession down. The maids hurried about searching for any drifting items. Collecting a long, black cloak from the bed, Margo walked to Gigi. She spun, allowing Margo to slip it onto her shoulders. She turned and Margo tied the ribbons into a neat bow.
"Marry Vic, Margo," Gigi said, catching the maid's elbows. "Don't wait to be happy. I know it could seem impossible but...don't let it go."
The words startled Margo and she froze, taking in the intensity in Gigi's eyes.
"It is a person, whom you will miss, isn't it? Not this place?" she said.
Gigi released her hold, the sadness in her eyes saying it all.
"I will not forget your words, Lady," Margo said.
"Good."
The porters arrived and carried Gigi's trunks away. Giving the room a last glance, Gigi followed them out. The palace was a stir with men and women collecting their possessions and starting to leave. Servants rushed about, lists of tasks climbing by each second. Though busy they never failed to show respect or manage a parting smile. As she walked, Gigi gazed over the palace feeling very little about its beauty, wishing for the beauty of a landscape of endless nature dotted with a town of tents.
In the foyer her grandparents were waiting, a hive of servants running to and fro for them. When they spotted Gigi joining them, they sent the servants away with final assignments. Before they could step out into the courtyard the King and Queen approached.
"Arthur," the King said, shaking Lord Brixton's hand. "It was wonderful to have you with us again."
The Queen moved to Lady Brixton and offered her own form of this statement. When she was finished exchanging words, she looked to Gigi. She took her hands and gave them an affectionate squeeze. In her warm brown eyes, Gigi saw Thayer's and her heart clenched.
"Genevieve," Ashlyn said, "I wish to thank you again for your assistance to me. Acting as my translator."
"The pleasure was all mine, your majesty," Gigi said.
"As it was my pleasure in getting to know you, dear. I know I will not be the only one who will miss your presence here." Her eyes were keen and understanding.
"Is his highness here?"
"Unfortunately my son had to leave early this morning to solve some conflict at the ports. But I know he wishes he could have said his farewells in person."
Gigi gave the Queen a reassuring smile though her heart sank. In a way, she knew it was better like this.
"Of course. Would you tell him I offer my goodbyes and thank him for the kindness he showed me."
"I will."
The Queen let go of Gigi's hands and took a place by her husband's side.
"Safe travels," the King said to them.
In response, Gigi's grandfather bowed his head while her grandmother and Gigi curtsied.
"Till next year," the Queen said. "Or perhaps sooner for a different sort of celebration." Her eyes twinkled with a hidden delight and Gigi's breath caught.
"We look forward to hearing from you," Lady Brixton said, mirroring the Queen's concealed happiness.
With final farewells, they left the foyer and walked out into the melancholy day. A carriage was waiting at the foot of the stairs for them, a train of carriages preceding it for the luggage and servants. Vic was among the men moving around the courtyard, securing straps and steadying the horses. He caught Gigi's eyes as she was about to step into the carriage and gave her a friendly smile. Her own lips echoed his, but her emotions couldn't match his cheeriness. Enclosed in the sweet-smelling box, they took off.
As the wheels rolled down the gravel path, Gigi couldn't help herself. She looked out the window and stared back at the palace, at the grounds, at the memories that she had made within these boarders. Her mind flittered over the faces she had met lingering on those she could call a friend. Davin. Raif. She tried not to settle on the one face she would never be able to drive from her mind. A face she never wanted to forget.
When they passed through the gates, she sank back into her seat.
"Do not worry dear," her grandmother said. "We will return."
Gigi gave a nod, but couldn't bring herself to say the words that were running around her head.
She would never return.
The city slipped by and she watched the glimpses of life she could from the window. Plainly dressed girls walked closely together, arms joined, baskets hanging from their hands, their heads bent together. A mother with a baby on her hip argued with a farmer about tomatoes. A well-dressed gentleman assisted a Lady down from a carriage. A dressmaker followed a young girl and her mother to the doorway, smiling his words at them.
All of it had become so familiar to Gigi in the last month, weaving in and out of these crowded roads. Watching the constant hum of people from the saddle of her horse. Feeling as if she knew this place as well as the roads she had grown up walking. The bustle of Loria ebbed away as they drove to the ports.
There the tone of voices were deeper and rougher. Suntanned skin and bristled chins were more common than the finery of city people. Gigi followed her grandparents out of the carriage but stopped at the edge of the dock. Like the city had an energy about it, so did the port. Ships were being boarded, burly men hauling trunks, cargo and supplies up and down the walkways.
There was no escaping the smell of fish and salt here, but Gigi found she didn't mind it. She absorbed the barking remarks of captains and the curt nods of his men. She stood out of the way, watching as all her grandparents' possessions were transferred to their ship.
Knowing she could be called to shortly by her grandmother, she turned to board but paused. She heard the beating of horse's hooves.
She looked back to the city and found amidst the chaos of the men, trailed by three guards was Thayer riding forward.
His hair was slightly rumpled and his top shirt button was undone as if he had gotten ready in haste. As he pulled his horse to a stop, he searched the ship, gripping the reins. There was something frantic and unbridled in his eyes.
Gigi found she couldn't move. Couldn't even say a word to draw his attention. He jumped down from his horse and tossed the reins to a guard beside him, saying something to him in the process.
Pushing through the mass of moving sailors, he made his way to the ship. It was only when he was about to stumble into Gigi that he saw her. Relief filled his face, and she felt her eyes sting at the look.
"Gigi," he said, his eyes soaking her up. "I heard you had already left when I returned to the palace. I wanted to say..."
He swallowed as if the word goodbye were stuck in his throat. Though a storm of men jostled around them, they felt as if there were no one there at all. Gigi reached up and fingered the top button of his shirt.
"In your untidy state you could almost pass for an Eldin," she said.
Despite the weight on his chest, Thayer smiled. That smile that Gigi had seen only a few times before. A true smile that said he was free. Happy. A part of Gigi hated that she would be the cause for the smile to vanish once she left. Or even worse that someone else might make him smile that way. She tried to fight the selfish thought, but it was there all the same.
"I would be honored to be seen as such," Thayer said, finding his words. "Gigi." His deep voice caressed her name. "I need to tell you that I...I am grateful to you. You showed me what a fool I was."
He took her hand and Gigi managed a weak laugh around the lump in her throat.
"I don't see a fool," she said. "I see someone who will make a great and kind king one day." She placed her hand over his and he did the same as if on reflex. "Thayer, I will be honored to be your subject."
Sadness crept into his expression.
"And I will strive to rule with a fair heart, knowing that it belongs to you...my people."
The words were sincere but there was a heavyweight behind them. Though it broke her apart, Gigi pulled her hands away. Stepping back, she sank into a low curtsy.
"It has been the greatest pleasure to know you, your majesty."
Her words were the knife that cut the ties between them. Thayer held his hands behind him and bowed back. A servant moved to Gigi's side, bowing to Thayer before looking to her.
"We are about to set sail, Lady," he said.
"Thank you," she said.
He walked away and Gigi settled her attention on Thayer.
"I hope you are happy, my Lady," he said, his heart in each word.
"I wish the same for you, my Prince."
Steeling herself, she followed the path the servant had to take up the walkway and onto the deck of the ship. The space was a chaos of moving bodies as men climbed the rigging and let loose the sails. Boots clambered on the wood and sent vibrations through Gigi's feet. She moved to the railing and looked back at the port.
She half expected Thayer to already be gone, called away to the duties she could never take him from, no matter what her heart wanted.
He was still there.
He stood there at on the edge of the dock, staring up at her. Among the tempest, he was the solid, lone tree. A breeze picked up and ruffled his hair. Something about that simple movement made Gigi want to race back to him, run her fingers through his thick hair, feel his breath against her face, savoring the brush of his fingers along her cheek. Fighting the urge, she held onto the railing, her fingers digging into the smooth wood.
The ship bobbed and broke away from the dock. The wind gusted and took hold of the sails. Standing there Gigi wanted to shout for them to stop. To yell that she couldn't leave because she was leaving all that mattered behind. Even though a part of her knew that she was heading home to the people she loved, she couldn't find it in herself to care. All that she knew in that moment was that Thayer was standing there, moving further and further away from her.
All the reasons she had for going home were lost to her. All that she had hated about Court life was a blur. The only thing that made sense was the man she couldn't tear her gaze away from.
As if able to see and understand all of this, Thayer smiled. He smiled as if it would make her smile. As if he couldn't bear to be left with the image of her in distress.
Something in that look calmed Gigi's wild thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she gave him the only thing she could, she smiled. In that look, she put all that she would never let herself say.
**********************************************************************
Dash it all!
(In my grief I've gone British again and I don't care!)
Who volunteers as tribute to jump into the book and turn the ship around so that the right ships can sail?
*sinks to the floor* There's no happiness anymore. Joy has felt this place...okay well I haven't left but my alter ego emotion has. *sighs* Who even knows what will happen. Do you? Theories you care to share on how this will end?
So JoymomentsSISTERÂ said after reading this chapter that her emotions were so raw that she couldn't respond with words, instead she recreated the chapter in emojis.
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Honestly, it's one of the most impressive things she's done. And all the broken hearts pretty much sum up how it feels at the moment!
What emojis sum you up at the moment?
What's the point of voting, commenting or even following. Life isn't worth it anymore. ð